Multiple System Operators (MSOs), also known as cable companies, as well as other service providers have been expanding their service offering to include wireless services, including hotspot services. Hotspot services allow a subscribing customer to access the Internet from a mobile device when they are away from their home. An extensive system is required for hotspot operation, including broadband home gateways or access points to provide the local wireless connection, as well as a Wireless Access Gateway (WAG) that provides hotspot management services, such as authentication, authorization, DHCP services, and others.
A hotspot service may be offered to a consumer through a wireless access point. The access point might stand alone, but more commonly service providers add wireless access points to broadband home gateways. Management of hotspot services is currently distributed. The access point associated with a broadband home gateway may be configured based on the broadband home gateway's configuration data. Management of the hotspot client services may be managed separately by a WAG.
The WAG is responsible for hotspot management functions, including admission and authentication of hotspot client devices. The WAG also provides Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) services for hotspot clients. Traffic to and from the hotspot clients passes through the WAG. For example, the broadband home gateway encapsulates the hotspot data coming from hotspot clients then passes the traffic back to the hotspot's WAG.
When a gateway initially connects to a broadband access network using a cable modem, it first performs a local DHCP request for an IP address, then retrieves its cable modem configuration file. One part of the configuration file may cover configuration of any internal access points, including any hotspot configuration. The hotspot configuration data typically includes information allowing the gateway to communicate with the WAG associated with that hotspot. Once a gateway has received information about how to contact the WAG and how to set up the hotspot's traffic routing tunnels, it sets up the tunnels with the WAG.
A gateway may be instructed by the WAG to periodically contact the WAG to confirm to both sides that the tunnel is operational. One example of confirmation traffic is a PING. PINGs are well known in the art as a simple IP protocol message exchange that confirms a network path exists between the device initiating the PING and the target device to which the PING was sent. Because of the large number of gateways that may connect to a single WAG, the communications path between a population of broadband gateways with hotspot services enabled and the WAG managing them may be congested with confirmation traffic. Therefore, a need exists for improving methods and systems of management and control of hotspot systems with reduced messaging.